By: Kiarra Swaby
Summer vacation, the time of the year to rest, relax, make memories, be happy and enjoy the great weather.
Unless you are like me; two jobs with consistent seven-day workweeks, all while trying to balance family and a social life.I practically worked for the entire summer.
However, had I not worked as much as I did, I would have never learned the importance of self-appreciation.
Two weeks ago I had to make a decision: should I continue to work at a place I enjoyed despite being mistreated or leave the very place I enjoyed because I was being mistreated?
I had worked at this establishment since I was 17-years-old. I met amazing people, created unbelievable bonds with repeat customers and co-workers and was even promoted within the first few months I had been there.
After two years, this job became more than just income. It became a place I loved.
Yet sometimes, we are blinded by the things we love.
One of the saddest things about humans is how we will continue to walk into negative environments every day because we are not ready to let go. Some will even take disrespect and verbal abuse to remain comfortable with what they are doing rather than start all over again. That’s what I was doing.
Although in order to move forward, chapters need to be closed. Which is exactly what I did.
I decided it was time for that part of my life to end and I have never been happier with the outcome.
I gained more appreciation for myself after moving on and it was nothing I had ever experienced before.
Though it made me realize many confuse self-appreciation with self-confidence or self-esteem.
Self-appreciation is simply the process of acknowledging oneself and being grateful for that. For the last four months, I never appreciated how hard my body had been pushing itself to go to work each day. I never commended myself for dealing with some of the disrespect I went through and I never acknowledged the long workweeks I endured just to make money.
This does not mean I regret working at this place. I am beyond grateful for the position I was given as it has taught me a lot about retail, myself and has even begun to open other doors for me in the work world.
However, it was time to start thinking about myself.
Since leaving this job I have stopped letting others use my kindness against me and began to speak up whenever I feel like I am being treated anything less than what I am truly worth.
I am a strong believer that to be happy and grow as a person, you must appreciate yourself in all forms. You may not be happy with who you are today, you may not be happy with who you were in the past but it is important to understand your current self and how you came to be this person in order to move forward.
A lesson everyone should learn is that if you do not appreciate yourself for who you are, no one else will and you will continue to be taken for granted.
“A person’s worth in this world is estimated according to the value they put on themselves.” – Jean De La Bruyere